John P. Hoover, Hawaii
Info
The first description of the sea needle Cosmocampus balli, which is endemic around Hawaii, is unfortunately not documented, there are also quite large different data on the size of the sea needle:
FishBase: 12cm
Hawaiifishes.com (John P. Hoover) 6,35cm
Rudie H. Kuiter in the book "Seahorses, pipefishes, ragfishes and their relatives" 6cm
Recumbent pipefishes apparently spend most of their time on the bottom, hidden in debris or kelp in relatively shallow areas of water.
Bottom-dwelling pipefishes are often somewhat sluggish, but Cosmocampus balli pedals vigorously back and forth and can move quite quickly, especially when disturbed.
Almost nothing is known about the species except that it is all white and is only seen in Hawaii on shallow, sheltered shores, even very rarely.
Since the species hides quite quickly, it is not a suitable animal for a saltwater aquarium.
Synonyms:
Corythoichthys balli Fowler, 1925
Syngnathus balli (Fowler, 1925)
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
FishBase: 12cm
Hawaiifishes.com (John P. Hoover) 6,35cm
Rudie H. Kuiter in the book "Seahorses, pipefishes, ragfishes and their relatives" 6cm
Recumbent pipefishes apparently spend most of their time on the bottom, hidden in debris or kelp in relatively shallow areas of water.
Bottom-dwelling pipefishes are often somewhat sluggish, but Cosmocampus balli pedals vigorously back and forth and can move quite quickly, especially when disturbed.
Almost nothing is known about the species except that it is all white and is only seen in Hawaii on shallow, sheltered shores, even very rarely.
Since the species hides quite quickly, it is not a suitable animal for a saltwater aquarium.
Synonyms:
Corythoichthys balli Fowler, 1925
Syngnathus balli (Fowler, 1925)
The term "reef safe" is often used in marine aquaristics, especially when buying a new species people often ask if the new animal is "reef safe".
What exactly does reef safe mean?
To answer this question, you can ask target-oriented questions and inquire in forums, clubs, dealers and with aquarist friends:
- Are there already experiences and keeping reports that assure that the new animal can live in other suitably equipped aquariums without ever having caused problems?
- Is there any experience of invertebrates (crustaceans, hermits, mussels, snails) or corals being attacked by other inhabitants such as fish of the same or a different species?
- Is any information known or expected about a possible change in dietary habits, e.g., from a plant-based diet to a meat-based diet?
- Do the desired animals leave the reef structure "alone", do they constantly change it (boring starfish, digger gobies, parrotfish, triggerfish) and thus disturb or displace other co-inhabitants?
- do new animals tend to get diseases repeatedly and very quickly and can they be treated?
- Do known peaceful animals change their character in the course of their life and become aggressive?
- Can the death of a new animal possibly even lead to the death of the rest of the stock through poisoning (possible with some species of sea cucumbers)?
- Last but not least the keeper of the animals has to be included in the "reef safety", there are actively poisonous, passively poisonous animals, animals that have dangerous biting or stinging weapons, animals with extremely strong nettle poisons, these have to be (er)known and a plan of action should have been made in advance in case of an attack on the aquarist (e.g. telephone numbers of the poison control center, the treating doctor, the tropical institute etc.).
If all questions are evaluated positively in the sense of the animal(s) and the keeper, then one can assume a "reef safety".
